What Are You Offering?

I just returned from a 10-day work/play trip to Phoenix, Sedona and the Grand Canyon. It started out in Phoenix for the Celebrate Your Life conference with 1,400 attendees. We then moved on to Sedona with Denise Linn with a smaller group. Finally, I ended up at the Grand Canyon with two dear friends. It was a whirlwind trip with high and lows, laughter and tears, and lives, including my own, were forever changed.

As the trip was concluding, I started seeing Facebook posts on prayers for Paris and noticing them more and more. I looked into it and read about the tragedy occurring. So much grief, sadness, and anger – all real emotions and understandable on what was going on. Then came people categorizing a religion as terrorists rather than the very small faction of people within that religion who did these heinous acts, and that saddened me too. It made me ask ‘what are we offering the world? What are we offering each other?’ It brought me back to a hike we took to a Vortex in Sedona.

We went to see Kachina Woman, a guardian and protector in the Native American Hopi Indian tribe. Many people in the group hiked up to the top to see her up close, while others stayed back as a few were unable to make the complete trip. As we approached Kachina Woman, we were told about a man who comes daily to play his flute for her. The air was crisp, the sun was bright and we walked in silence taking in the beauty of the Boyton Canyon Trail and releasing what no longer served us. Through the stillness we began to hear the melodic sounds of a flute. He was there! We were able to witness his offering to mother earth and the world. Those who traveled to the top were able to speak with him. He comes twice a day to play his music offering peace and love to the world. He’s done this every day for over four years. Along with his beautiful music, he creates hearts out of the red clay and offers them to Kachina Woman’s guests. He imparts wisdom to those he comes in contact with and continues to hold the vision of love and peace.

It was truly a remarkable experience and truly a great reminder that in light of what is taking place around the world, there is great love being offered that you may not have heard about, but know it’s there. Whatever is going on in your own world, know that you get to choose what to offer in response. You can offer love and help grow compassion and kindness or you can offer fear, judgment and condemnation. Your offering remains a choice in the best of times and worst of times, so choose what you would like to grow and nurture in your life and the world.

Moving forward, I encourage you to offer:

Kindness: Offering kindness does not mean you condone unkind acts as there are consequences to all actions. It does mean that you choose not to add more venom in an already toxic situation. Choose to move forward in kindness.

Compassion: Offer compassion to yourself and others knowing that hurt people hurt others. People who feel loved, love others. Choose to help create more love and compassion in the world.

Mostly, my wish for you is for you to know this world is filled up with 1 person 7 billion times. The vast majority are just like you living life moment by moment…send them love. Those very few who are in such deep pain they hurt others…send them love too while knowing they have consequences to face.

Until next time, let us offer love to ourselves and others on this journey called life.